Cam Phaser/Engine Failure Reports

[Booth9999]

Mine is going in on Monday for them... I’ll report back with part numbers etc.

 

[Kuan]

This is definitely something that starts off as a slight rattle and gets worse. @WraptorBoy is correct in saying that the faint sound now will only get worse and louder. Ford service centers are also telling people to wait until it gets louder. That right there sounds good enough to me that these parts wear, and then get worse to the point of replacement.

 

[Halo Raptor]

California is the most litigious state in the nation with the strictest "lemon" laws. CA is so different from other states that it might as well be it's own country. That applies to more than just lemon law as well.

California's "lemon" law, also known as Song-Beverly, does not require a manufacturer to refund an owner for insurance, registration, or modifications. If a vehicle qualifies for repurchase, the owner is entitled to the value of the vehicle minus depreciation and damage. Your case is unique because your vehicle (Focus) had known transmission issues in 2012-2014 models, so Ford essentially washed it's hands of your vehicle to prevent further litigation by your attorney. Lawyers are scumbags and CA lets them get away with murder. You might think lawyers are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but wait until you find yourself on the wrong side of one and lose everything you own and then some. CA is pro-lawyer, pro-litigation, and anti-corporation; you can find yourself on any end of that spectrum at any time.

I would suggest refraining from providing legal advice unless you are a licensed attorney; providing anecdotal information can easily result in members on here losing a court case and ending up with thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Hey guy that wasnt legal advice, that was what actually happened. Nowhere in my post did I suggest "lawyers are the greatest thing since sliced bread". Sounds like you got your ass handed to you by a lawyer and now are bitter about it, but that has nothing to do with what I posted. Everything I posted was 100% true and accurate and zero speculation. As for lawyers, Ive been in law enforcement for 23 years and been on both ends of it prob more times than 99% of the people on here, so save your BS for someone else. Ive prob been sued more times as well. So before you go spouting anymore of your completely speculative BS on someone you dont know, check yourself bro.

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Not sure how else I can explain this...there is no "beginning" cam phaser noise. The phasers either fail to lock and make a loud rattle noise (duration of noise varies), or they lock properly and exhibit no noise. Based on your video, it is not possible that the noise you are hearing is the result of the cam phasers failing to park in their locked position.

When a service message is released, they base the date on the affected component. Meaning vehicles after that date have the updated parts/design. So if the engines were "clean" on that vehicle build date, that is the date they use.

Plenty of engines exhibit normal "knock" type sounds due to variations in temperature. This is especially common in vehicles with forged pistons; at low temperatures on a cold start the pistons rock slightly in the cylinder bore and create a phenomenon known as piston slap.

As far as the noise you are experiencing, what oil and filter are you running? A missing (cheap filter) or faulty anti-drainback valve within the filter housing will result in a lack of oil pressure to the top end of the engine at cold start. This causes a momentary tapping/knocking noise until the cylinder heads (OHC) or lifters (OHV) receive full oil pressure.

Did you ever observe the wastegate movement on a cold start to see if it coincides with the noise you hear?

i just want to say I appreciate every contribution @FordTechOne makes. Love the explanations and what you said above is exactly why I don’t care about that slight knock at 20F outside temp cold start. The 3.5EB engine is great - best engine I’ve owned, love it even more than my 4.8L V8 Porsche Engine. FYI, I’m a German citizen so that’s as big a compliment America can get from a fellow car nation.

 

[FordTechOne]

Hey guy that wasnt legal advice, that was what actually happened. Nowhere in my post did I suggest "lawyers are the greatest thing since sliced bread". Sounds like you got your ass handed to you by a lawyer and now are bitter about it, but that has nothing to do with what I posted. Everything I posted was 100% true and accurate and zero speculation. As for lawyers, Ive been in law enforcement for 23 years and been on both ends of it prob more times than 99% of the people on here, so save your BS for someone else. Ive prob been sued more times as well. So before you go spouting anymore of your completely speculative BS on someone you dont know, check yourself bro.

They re-paid me every red cent I put into the car, including anything extra I added. They paid for every year of registration, 2 years of insurance payments, everything. I ended up like I never owned the car and got a big fat check. If thats not what your getting, you better get yourself an attorney like I did. They even paid my attorney fees. And thats in California.

Might want to re-read what you posted. This has nothing to do with me, no need to go off the deep end. You're suggesting someone hire an attorney if they don't get the list of demands you referenced. Most people, meaning those in every state except CA, will only end up receiving the depreciated value of their vehicle along with a stack of lawyer bills. The lawyers come out on top, not the consumer.

 

[FordTechOne]

i just want to say I appreciate every contribution @FordTechOne makes. Love the explanations and what you said above is exactly why I don’t care about that slight knock at 20F outside temp cold start. The 3.5EB engine is great - best engine I’ve owned, love it even more than my 4.8L V8 Porsche Engine. FYI, I’m a German citizen so that’s as big a compliment America can get from a fellow car nation.

Thanks. Apparently some people don't want to see information directly from the manufacturer, they'd rather speculate that the sky is falling.

 

[FordTechOne]

This is definitely something that starts off as a slight rattle and gets worse. @WraptorBoy is correct in saying that the faint sound now will only get worse and louder. Ford service centers are also telling people to wait until it gets louder. That right there sounds good enough to me that these parts wear, and then get worse to the point of replacement.

What happened to your assertion that the phaser part number never changed, Sasquatch? You only seem to show up when you can hang on someone else's coat tails to try and get your 2 cents in.

Phaser rattle does not not start off as a "faint sound". If a phaser doesn't park properly, the intensity of the sound is the same. The only variable is the duration of the noise.

Perhaps you are misinterpreting the Service Message, which instructs the dealer to order the parts and then have the customer drive the vehicle until the parts arrive, since the noise is not detrimental to the engine.

 

[Donmatteo]

Might want to re-read what you posted. This has nothing to do with me, no need to go off the deep end. You're suggesting someone hire an attorney if they don't get the list of demands you referenced. Most people, meaning those in every state except CA, will only end up receiving the depreciated value of their vehicle along with a stack of lawyer bills. The lawyers come out on top, not the consumer.

Don’t sweat it @FordTechOne he selectively quoted me as well. I have almost the same information as you as I went through that and I live in CA. Don’t let people like him keep you from posting.

 

[FordTechOne]

Don’t sweat it @FordTechOne he selectively quoted me as well. I have almost the same information as you as I went through that and I live in CA. Don’t let people like him keep you from posting.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm here to contribute when I can and learn about the Raptor community, especially being an owner.

 

[Kuan]

What happened to your assertion that the phaser part number never changed, Sasquatch? You only seem to show up when you can hang on someone else's coat tails to try and get your 2 cents in.

Phaser rattle does not not start off as a "faint sound". If a phaser doesn't park properly, the intensity of the sound is the same. The only variable is the duration of the noise.

Perhaps you are misinterpreting the Service Message, which instructs the dealer to order the parts and then have the customer drive the vehicle until the parts arrive, since the noise is not detrimental to the engine.

I (and I am not saquatch thank you very much) never said the phaser part number never changed. It has changed quite a few times over the years because ford can't figure out the design for it.

Phaser rattle does get progressively louder/worse, not longer. That has been repeated here several times, so I am not sure where you are coming up with your information.

Again, if you look through the different threads on this topic, you will find many people that were told by the service center to bring it back when it gets louder. It was not waiting for the out of stock parts.... it was that initially service centers were not thinking the sound was the phaser failing. Once it got louder and louder, they knew they had to replace.

If you truly are a Ford tech, I would never allow you to work on my stuff.